Oprah in 2020? Anything’s possible in Trump era of politics

Donald Trump has American farmers on his side. He doesn’t need to worry about them as he presses forward with his political agenda and proves to the world he’s “a stable genius.”

But with special counsel Robert Mueller breathing down his neck and North Korean President Kim Jong-un getting under his skin, the last thing the president needed was another pressure point.

This time, he got one from a former Nashville TV personality with better ratings, more popularity and almost as much money as the president himself.

“President Winfrey” became the talk of social media after Oprah Winfrey accepted a lifetime achievement award during the Golden Globes broadcast Sunday night. The TV mogul and former host of the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” who became the best friend of nearly every American woman at some point in her career, once worked as a reporter and anchor at Channel 5 in Nashville.

Winfrey struck a nerve with her hopeful message about the #MeToo movement and the chorus of women’s voices reporting sexual harassment. Her proclamation that “a new day is on the horizon” seemed like a presidential campaign rallying cry.

“When that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight. And some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say “Me too” again,” Winfrey said.

As Trump was traveling to Nashville, then to Atlanta for Monday night’s national championship game, speculation about Oprah was everywhere. CNN reported she’s serious about running. Her longtime boyfriend, Stedman Graham, said if people really wanted her, she would do it.

While Oprah has a common touch rarely seen in entertainment or politics, so does Trump when he’s serving his core constituency and staying away from insults on Twitter. When Trump’s under control, he’s charming. He even convinced voters to elect him in 2016 on one basic promise to “Make America Great Again.”

Trump came with praise and gifts for the Farm Bureau conventioneers Monday in Nashville. He comforted farmers, saying, “Farm country is God’s country.” Then he signed executive orders designed to expand broadband access in rural areas.

“President Trump is fully aware of the economic difficulties farmers and ranchers have gone through these past few years,” American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall said. “The economic issues he has outlined, including reform of our nation’s tax and regulatory systems, match many of the issues on Farm Bureau’s agenda.”

Tennessee Farm Bureau President Jeff Aiken, who was in the sea of faces at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, said Trump was interrupted seven times by standing ovations during his speech. Trump was the first president to speak at the convention in 25 years.

“We could not be more pleased with the message he delivered,” Aiken said. “President Trump repeatedly praised farmers for their current value to society but he also expressed accolades for farmers contribution throughout history in building a strong America.”

A new farm bill and crop insurance have been weighing heavily on farmers’ minds. Aiken, who represents the largest Farm Bureau federation in the county, said the president grasps rural priorities and realities.

“He expressed his support for passing a new farm bill and doing so quickly,” Aiken said. “A key component of the farm bill is crop insurance, and President Trump voiced his support for the inclusion of a strong crop insurance program.

“He also spoke of the achievements already accomplished by his administration related to regulatory reform, waters of the U.S. and tax reform,” he added.

By Monday evening, Trump was in Atlanta, walking onto the field for the national anthem. He was greeted with a loud mix of boos and applause.

Meanwhile, CNN was still having a field day speculating about Winfrey. The cable news company reports any tidbit about Trump first and foremost. Now Oprah chatter will join the obsession.

“We welcome the challenge, whether it be Oprah Winfrey or anybody else,” Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley told reporters on Air Force One as it flew to Nashville, according to a transcript of the press briefing.

Who knows how the storm around Trump and the whirlwind around Winfrey will turn out?

We do know that Trump and Oprah have bases who love them — rural supporters with the president and women with Winfrey. Oprah’s endorsement of Barack Obama over primary challenger Hillary Clinton in 2008 was one reason Obama was elected president.

Those images, words and memories were as powerful as ever Monday, less than a year after Trump was sworn into office.

Do Americans want another TV star running the country? That’s the long-tern question.

James Bennett is editor of The Daily Herald. His column is based on exclusive reporting, old-school storytelling and original commentary on whatever catches his fancy or yours. He was a 2017 Tennessee Press Association first-place award winner for editorial writing and public service. Contact him at jbennett@c-dh.net.

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